


High School Reunion

by alltheusernamesiwantedweregone



Category: Elite (TV)
Genre: All the couples are married, Ander and Omar have twins, Different perspectives, F/M, Guzman is a stressed dad, Guzman is the Mom Friend, M/M, Nadia and Guzman had a daughter and named her Marina, Ninety percent of them moved to New York, No Angst, Rebecca is everyone's friend, Snazzy groupchat, The Shana parents have adopted everyone, this will have fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23193760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheusernamesiwantedweregone/pseuds/alltheusernamesiwantedweregone
Summary: Set ten years after the third season.Will be multi-chaptered
Relationships: Carla Rosón Caleruega/Samuel García Domínguez, Guzmán Nunier Osuna/Nadia Shana, Valerio Montesinos Hendrich/Cayetana Grajera Pando
Comments: 32
Kudos: 176





	1. Preparation

**Author's Note:**

> I spent so much time on this fic and you have no idea the amount of stuff I googled.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone prepares for their week-long reunion and a group chat is created.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the re-edited version of the first chapter, upon re-reading I realized that I wasn't happy with my writing, so I had to fix it.

Nadia:

  
  


“Nadia, have you seen my tropical shirt?” called Guzmán from their bedroom.

“Guzmán, I love you, but half of your wardrobe is tropical shirts so you’re going to have to be a bit more specific,” Nadia responded as she took off her hijab and shook her hair out.

“The one with the palm trees that makes me look amazingly handsome,” Guzmán said.

“Again, more specific,” Nadia said as she walked over to her husband and kissed him on the cheek.

He was standing in front of his suitcase looking defeated while their daughter Marina was on the bed helping him pack his hair products. 

“Are you sure you washed it?” She asked.

“I swear it was just here,” he responded, running a hand through his hair.

“Why don’t you take a look at your daughter, I think she might know where it is,” 

Up until that moment, Marina had been unnoticed as she tiptoed towards the door, Guzmán’s shirt around her shoulders. When she realized she had been caught, she dashed out of the room laughing with Guzmán on her heels.

At that moment, her phone went off with a series of texts from Lu.

**_Currently at the club wondering how many blackout drunk guys I can con money out of_ **

**_Send my love to Guzmán and Marina, BTW_ **

**_Is he packing yet?_ **

_With your ambition, all of them_

_He’s finished, just trying to get a shirt that Marina stole back_

**_I don’t know why I’m surprised, the man carries wet wipes with him_ **

**_Tell Marina her favorite aunt is proud of her_ **

_I will_

_Let me know when your plane lands_

_Love you_

**_Love you too_ **

As soon as she set her phone down, Guzmán walked in holding his shirt victoriously in one hand and using the other to hold Marina, who was getting much taller as she approached her fourth birthday. 

“When are we going to see grandma?” Marina asked.

“Next week, which will come much faster once you’ve gone to bed,” Guzmán responded.

“Only if you read the story,” 

“Mommy will read to you tonight, ok darling?” Nadia said as she stood up and took her daughter in her arms.

“Ok,” Marina responded as she rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

  
  


Omar:

It was at this moment that Omar realized agreeing to play hide and seek with Ander and their twins was a mistake. He had tried to fit into the bathroom cabinet and discovered with a start that he was stuck and now had to wait for someone to find him.

After a few minutes, his neck started to cramp and he decided that his preserving his dignity could wait until he wasn’t wedged under a sink.

“Ander!” he yelled.

“Help me, I'm stuck!” 

When Ander walked into the bathroom with their twins, Elena and Carlos, who were the same age as their cousin Marina, he looked as if Christmas had come early.

“You managed to be beaten by a cabinet, congratulations,” he wheezed as he slid to the floor laughing.

“Shut up and help me, I’m in serious pain right now,” he said as he started to laugh as well.

“At least you won,” Elena started.

“We found Daddy in five minutes,” Carlos finished.

“Do you think Nana and Papa will play hide and seek with us?” the shorter twin asked.

“I’m sure you can convince everyone to play with you,” Omar said while ruffling their hair.

“Make sure to convince Marina first, even Carla can’t say no to her,” Ander added while helping his husband up.

“When are we leaving?” Elena asked as Ander picked her up.

“In six days. Do you know what day that will be?” he asked.

“Monday, right El?” her brother said as Omar picked him up.

“Yeah!” she responded as she counted on her fingers.

At that moment, as if they shared the same mind, both twins yawned and laid their heads on the shoulder of either parent.

“I think it’s time for bed, don’t you?” Ander said to Omar as he too yawned.

Since cancer, Ander tired much easier than he did when he was a teenager, although that didn’t stop him and Carlos from beating Omar and Elena at tennis when they played on the weekends. He then walked over to the dresser with Elena to brush his daughter’s hair, kissed his husband, and realized how tired he was himself.

  
  


Carla:

  
  


As she went through the motions of pulling her hair up into a bun, she felt her husband come up behind her and kiss her cheek. 

“Are you alright? You look stressed,” He said, turning her to face him.

“I'm fine, it's just that Valerio said my father showed up asking about me,” she said tiredly.

“Fuck, really? What’d Val do?” Samuel responded, looking concerned.

“Threatened him with trespassing and hired a team of mimes to perform from 9 to 5 outside the window of his shitty apartment for the next week,” she responded feeling a smile creep onto her face.

Samuel laughed at that and kissed her forehead before getting into bed and unplugging his phone.

“How’d he manage that?” 

“I’m sure he’s paying them handsomely,” she replied as she too got into bed.

“Either that or he’s performing alongside them,” Samuel suggested

Just then, her phone went off with a series of texts from Valerio.

**_What is UP?_ **

**_How is my favorite boss doing???_ **

**_[Smiling emoji]_ **

**_Quick question: would it be outrageous to become a mime? Because I’m really feeling the whole look_ **

**_[Attached image]_ **

_Has he lost his mind yet?_

_If you can star in a Broadway musical with Rebe then I won’t stop you from becoming a mime_

_You look fabulous, darling_

_Samuel says hi_

**_I could cook s’mores with the smoke coming out of his ears_ **

**_I’m glad someone recognizes my unmeasurable talent_ **

**_Tell him I miss his brooding face_ **

**_Love you numero uno_ **

_Love you too_

“How long until I actually have to see him?” Samuel asked.

“Not long, just five days, but I know how much you miss him,” she said with a smirk.

“I love the guy, but he made a drug lab in my kitchen and calls me cranky, so you can imagine my distress,” 

“Lighten up, old man,” 

“Twenty-eight is not old, I’m just wise beyond my years,” he retorted.

“Alright old man,” she said as she turned her lamp off, turned into his arms, and fell asleep.

  
  
  
  


Rebecca (Rebe):

  
  


When Rebe woke up from her nap she noticed that she had slept in much later than she thought she would and had multiple unread texts.

Nadia had sent her a picture of Marina wearing her hijab, a feather boa, and a fanny pack with a caption saying:

**_“Packing is difficult here and my daughter is following in your footsteps”_ **

**_Hope you’re well and not drunkenly auditioning for Broadway_ **

**_Give your mom my love_ **

She smiled at the picture of her "niece" and texted back saying:

_Marina is a national treasure_

_Tell her that I couldn’t have styled that outfit better_

_STFU_

_She’s at a retreat right now, but I will_

**_[Blowing a kiss emoji]_ **

Ander had texted two photos of himself wearing two different outfits and a text saying:

**_Which one makes me look effortlessly handsome?_ **

**_But like, approachable and taken_ **

She responded a minute later with:

_You look great in both, my dear_

**_[Thumbs up emoji]_ **

**_The twins say hi and want to know if you can breakdance_ **

_I can obviously do anything, so yes_

_Give Omar my love and tell him his new skincare routine is paying off_

**_I will_ **

Valerio had messaged her a picture of him dressed as a mime that said:

**_[Attached image]_ **

**_The things I do for this family_ **

**_How long until I can see my favorite co-star?_ **

She responded with:

_What’s with the getup?_

_Unfortunately, you’ll have to go three more days without seeing my beautiful face_

**_I’m annoying Carla’s father_ **

**_Woe is me, how awfully tragic that I’ll have to go three more days without someone to help me take over the city_ **

_[Sad face emoji]_

When Rebe finally rolls out of bed, she realizes that it is eleven pm and brews herself a pot of coffee. Since her company has taken off, she's been working around the clock, only sleeping when her body finally gives out on her, and as she starts up her sewing machine, Rebe knows that she's going to be in for a long night.

Lucrecia (Lu):

Lu knows that packing two days before a trip isn’t exactly procrastination, but with all of the work she puts into her appearance, she knows that she should have started earlier. She’s already planned out what she’ll be wearing for the week-long reunion, but figuring out what accessories she’ll wear and how she’ll style her hair is just as important to her as what she’s wearing.

After she started at Columbia with Nadia, she became fed up with her waist-length hair and had taken a pair of scissors and chopped it all off. Well nearly, Nadia had convinced her to leave it long enough to rest on her shoulders, and had evened out the ends while she had cried on the floor of the bathroom because this was so unlike her and she missed the comfort of her old self.

Now, she was a different person, as they all were, but that didn’t stop her from reverting back into old habits. When she finally gets everything in order, Lu decides that if they’re all going to be together again for the first time in years, they’ll need what every chaotic family needs, a group chat.

Although they all stayed friends and visited each other over the years, the last time _everyone_ was together at the same time was when Polo had died and they had all decided to risk their futures to protect her’s.

Although had a group chat that they used daily, Lu decides that for this trip they’ll need something snazzy.

  
  


Guzmán:

  
  


Usually, Guzmán is able to stay awake late into the night without issue, but with the stress of having a four-year-old daughter, along with the preparation for an early flight the next morning, he finds himself yawning at eight o’clock as he helps Nadia finish packing.

“Guzmán, did you do that load of laundry I asked you to do?” his wife asks.

“I folded it and it’s on the bed dear” he responds, kissing her cheek as she frantically rushes throughout their house getting everything ready so they aren’t going through what they are now tomorrow morning.

“I knew I should have packed when I was helping Marina, not wait until the night before,” 

“And yet you laughed at me for doing this last week,” he said, feeling smug.

“That was because you are the epitome of what it means to be the Mom Friend,” she says, walking back into their bedroom to fold another blouse into her suitcase.

Marina was perched on their bed, her favorite place to sit, and reading a book as her mother rushed around. He pulled his daughter into his lap and started to braid her hair while Nadia finished folding everything into her suitcase.

“Did you-” she starts to ask.

“Yes, I have our passports, suitcases, and plane tickets set out and I prepared snacks for the flight in the kitchen, dear, don’t worry,” he says, releasing Marina, who scurried away to read in peace, pulling Nadia into his lap instead and kissing her cheek.

“Forget anything I’ve said previously, you being the Mom Friend is the best part of your personality,” she says, leaning against him.

At that moment, both of their phones went off with several messages.

**_[Lu created “Snazzy Vacation Group Chat”]_ **

**_[Added: Nadia, Guzmán, Carla, Samu, Rebe, Cayetana, Ander, Omar, Valerio]_ **

**_Lu: Hola, friends, this is the group chat we will use during our trip. I am aware of our other one, but I feel that for such an important event we will need something more formal_ **

**_Valerio: Bonjour, amigos and amigas, can’t wait to see y'all tomorrow_ **

**_Guzmán: Has everyone packed? Do you have your passports and tickets? Have you remembered extra phone chargers?_ **

**_Rebe: Guzmán, I love you, but if you don’t stop mothering us, I’m changing your name in my phone to “Goose Mom”_ **

_Guzmán: [Middle finger emoji]_

**_Ander: The twins are excited to see your parents Nadia. They’ve literally made them cards, and even tried to get us to leave early_ **

**_Nadia: I assure you that my parents are just as excited. Mom texted me a few hours ago saying that she had knitted scarves for all the kids, so naturally, we all get one._ **

**_Omar: Don’t forget, Mom and Dad want all of us to come over for dinner on Tuesday at 7_ **

**_Carla: [Thumbs up emoji]_ **

“What color did she make the scarves this time?” he asked.

“I have no idea, she wouldn’t tell me anything. She was determined to have it be a surprise. All I know is that Dad bought you and Ander matching ties.” 

“Really?” 

“You aren’t supposed to know that, so when he gives them to you, act _really_ surprised,” 

“Your parents are amazing,” 

“They have a soft spot for children, which is how everyone ended up with a second set of parents,” his wife said as she got up to go take her suitcase into the living room.

  
  


Cayetana:

When she finally finished the third draft for her new book, Cayetana realized that it was, in fact, two am. Valerio was already asleep, long ago giving the uphill battle of trying to get her to go to bed at a reasonable time. Thankfully, she had already packed and gotten everything organized for her trip to the hotel they would all be staying at for the week, with everyone staying on the same floor. She consoled herself with the thought that at least when she dragged herself out of bed, she wouldn’t be out of her mind with panic trying to get ready.

Although she was nervous to see everyone again, it would be nice to catch up and get out of her house for once. Becoming a writer had wrecked her sleep schedule and left her nearly quarantined inside. Next to her, Val turned over and hugged her waist in his sleep. It was a miracle that he could sleep through anything, making it easy for her to write in bed even when he was there. 

Just then she yawned, and realizing exactly how tired she was, she set her laptop to the side to charge, yanked her half of the covers back from Valerio, and went to sleep.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Traveling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone who lives in New York flies out together and chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support this fic has gotten! I hope you like reading about near-death experiences involving pillows and flight delays because that's what you've just signed up for.

Samuel:

The first thing Samu registers when he wakes up is that he should still be asleep. Dimly, he recognizes Carla’s phone going off with messages that are probably Valerio asking her opinion on whatever new scheme he has concocted or Rebe asking about a new design. When he looks over at his phone he sees that it is, in fact, six am and that everyone in New York would be boarding their flight in a few hours. Next to him, Carla is still asleep and curls into him as her phone goes off once again. He shakes her so she’ll wake up and immediately regrets doing so as her eyes fill with worry.

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay? Did their flight take off safely?” she says in a rush as she sits up.

“Everything’s fine, don’t worry. Your phone just kept going off and I figured you might want to look at it,” he says while tucking her hair behind her ear.

Once again, he regrets his choice as she smacks him in the face with a pillow and nearly knocks him off the bed.

“You scared me, asshole! I thought someone had died with you waking me at this hour,” his wife says as she picks up her phone and unlocks it.

“At this hour?” he says grinning.

“It’s six am and we should be awake anyway,”

He is once again met with a pillow hitting him in the face at full force, and this time he actually  _ does _ fall off the bed.

“Point taken,” he says, more to himself than anything.

“I am sorry about waking you though, I know it scared you,” he continues, apologetic.

“You’ll get your forgiveness when I get my coffee, Samu,” Carla says, not looking up from her phone.

As he regains his spot on the bed, he catches a glimpse of her phone to see that he was right about the messages being from Valerio.

“What does Val want?” he asks.

“It’s sweet that you’re inquiring about his well being, should I let him know?” she asks, looking up and smirking at him.

“I beg of you not to, the last time I said something nice to him he tweeted that he had found his soulmate and tagged me,” he said.

“I forgot about that,” she says, laughing.

“He’s just spamming me with selfies of him in ridiculous positions and asking which one makes him look best,” she continues.

“Should I be worried?” he asks, smiling.

“I’ll answer that once I get my coffee,” she says while kissing him on the cheek.

  
  


Ander:

Ander Muñoz isn’t afraid of much, but the one thing that still gives him anxiety is seeing his family in distress, specifically his husband. Which is how he ends up desperately trying to diffuse a series of high-stress situations before they leave for the airport.

The night before was filled with extreme regret and self-hatred as Ander and Omar realized that it was the night before a six am flight and only the twins were actually packed for the upcoming week.

Thankfully, Elena and Carlos were already asleep, so they didn’t hear the lengthy stream of curses that both parents uttered as they frantically shoved clothes into their suitcases. By eleven o’clock, they had finished and were both out cold, oblivious to the fact that they had forgotten to turn their alarms on.

This turn of events led to him and Omar being pounced on at five fifteen in the morning by two very panicked children who had originally just wanted juice but had caught a glimpse of the time and took it upon themselves to wake their parents. They were also well aware of the twenty minute commute to the airport, which proved to be an excellent motivator, as they were both ready before their parents.

As everyone raced to shower, dress, eat at least  _ something _ for breakfast, and pile into the car with their suitcases, several arguments had already broken out and everyone was in a foul mood. At this point in time, it was five forty-five and they still had to get to the airport before the plane took off at six. Ander knew that he could get them there in less than ten minutes if he tried, but Omar was concerned about safety. Although he loved his husband, he was not going to allow them to be late. Which is how he ended up going 60 miles per hour in a 45 while Omar told the twins not to ever follow their father’s example and simultaneously yelled at him to be careful.

“Ander! Slow down, you’ll get a ticket,” he had shouted as Ander sped up.

“Let’s do it baby, I know the law,” he had responded, while Elena and Carlos egged him on.

When they arrived at the airport ten minutes later, Omar was a step away from a full-on panic attack and the twins were almost crying with worry because they didn’t want to miss the flight and end up not seeing Marina and their grandparents. Five minutes later, they had finally checked in and met up with Guzmán, Nadia, Marina, Lu, and Rebe who looked as if they had fared much better than Ander and Omar had. Lu was braiding Marina’s hair while Rebe was sleeping curled in a chair. Nadia was dozing against her husband, who kept checking his phone every two minutes and bouncing his leg.

“Jesus Christ, what happened to you guys?” Lu asked as she finished Marina’s braid and presented the twins with their gifts. 

“We overslept and Ander almost killed us,” Omar said, sitting down and slumping against her.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the flight was delayed four hours, so all your panic was for nothing,” Nadia said as she finally snatched Guzmán’s phone from his hand and stuck it down her blouse.

It was at this moment that chaos broke out.

“Hey!” Guzmán said, looking scandalized.

“You can have it back once you calm down,” she said, looking tired but pleased with herself.

“Why didn’t they fucking tell us this when we checked in to this godamn airport?” Ander yelled, making the kids jump.

“Ander Muñoz, watch your language, there are children present,” Lu said sharply.

“ _ Alright!  _ Kids, who wants to learn to breakdance?” Rebe said loudly as she guided Marina and the twins away from their parents and gave Lu a thumbs up.

“I’m pretty sure they did, you were just out of your minds with panic,” Nadia responded to his outrage while reuniting her husband with his phone.

That was what finally did it for Ander, he sat in Rebe’s empty seat and leaned his head against Guzmán’s.

“Wake me up in four hours, I deserve a fucking nap,” he said grumpily as Lu wacked him for once again using foul language.

  
  


Valerio: 

  
  


After Polo, Cayetana had told him that she loved him with all her heart, but she needed a break from Las Encinas to make something of herself. She told him that she would gladly be with him, but she needed to distance herself from Polo’s memory first, which meant that he had to be out of the picture as well. He understood the need to get by on your own and move on. They both cried that day, had kissed each other because they knew it would be a long time before they did it again. Before they parted ways, he promised her that whenever she was ready he would be there.

A year later, they had met by accident at a coffee shop, traded numbers for the second time, and promised to stay in contact. For weeks they had continued on as friends until one night at two am when he was helping her with the outline for her second book and had accidentally dozed off next to her. The next thing he registered as the sun shone through the windows was that she was curled next to him and hadn't moved somewhere else to sleep or made him leave. They hadn’t had sex, but this felt more monumental, like they had shattered a barrier between themselves.

It was that morning that he had told her that he still loved her, but would wait if she still needed time. She had kissed him in response and told him that she loved him as well, but that might change if he didn't hurry up and make her a cup of coffee.

Now, he lay next to her as she typed away frantically at her computer and wondered how someone so fucking radiant could love him in return.

  
  
  


Guzmán:

  
  


The morning of their flight, Guzmán had woken Nadia up at four-thirty in the morning and insisted that it was necessary that they weren’t late. He had gotten a pillow to the face as a response and then an apology when he told her he had already made breakfast. He had then woken up Marina, who didn’t need any convincing whatsoever because she was so ecstatic about seeing everyone. Fifteen minutes later, they sat in the kitchen eating breakfast, all of them coincidentally in matching pajamas, Marina and Nadia with tousled curls, and the former rambling on about how excited she was.

When all the plates were cleared and put away, it was five-fifteen and Guzmán was experiencing high levels of stress. Marina had been determined to be completely independent and had already picked out her clothes the night before, but decided against her previous choice at the last minute, which left him desperately trying to convince her that her blue feather boa would match her fanny pack the best. Nadia was already showered and dressed and walked in at that moment wrapping her hijab around her head. 

“Mama!” Marina exclaimed, running over to her and demanding to be picked up.

“Daddy doesn't know what he’s talking about. Can you get Aunt Rebe?” she asked desperately.

“We’ll see her in a half an hour darling, just bring both and she’ll tell you which one looks best at the airport,” Nadia said gently.

“Okay,” she agreed.

Five minutes later, they had piled into the car and were about to leave when both his and Nadia’s phones went off in succession.

“Am I correct in assuming that’s Valerio in the group chat Lu created?” he asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

“How’d you know?” Nadia answered.

“Only Valerio would wake up this early to spam a group chat,” he pointed out.

**_[Snazzy Vacation Group Chat]_ **

**_Bonjour, y’all_ **

**_What is UP??!!_ **

**_Less than a day until you all can see my beautiful face_ **

**_Nadia: We miss you too, dear_ **

**_Valerio: [Attached images]_ **

Guzmán laughed as Nadia read the messages aloud to him. 

“Now he’s just sending pictures of himself in ridiculous outfits,” his wife mused as she handed Marina her phone so she could see them as well.

They arrived at the airport ten minutes later and discovered with varying degrees of dismay that they were the first to arrive and would have to wait for everyone else. Thankfully, Lu arrived soon after they did and much to Marina’s excitement, gifted her with a new hair ribbon. As she worked on weaving a complex braid into her niece's hair, Rebe arrived and wrecked what little progress Lu had made.

“Hey, y’all, how’s my favorite niece doing?” she said, greeting them tiredly.

“Daddy was useless this morning and didn’t know which boa looked better,” Marina announced as she ran over and jumped on her.

“It’s obviously the purple one. Have I taught you nothing Guzmán?” Rebe managed to say around her niece’s mass of curls.

“I have a degree in business, not fashion,” he said, exasperated.

“ _ Anyway _ , I know I’m a bit early, so I will now proceed to nap until our favorite disaster gays arrive,” Rebe declared as she curled herself into a ball in the chair next to Guzmán.

  
  
  


Lu:

Two hours into their four-hour delay, Lucrecia was doing face masks with Omar and painting Nadia’s nails as Guzmán was asleep next to her with his head resting against Ander, who was also asleep. They had already conversed with Carla, Samu, Valerio, and Cayetana and explained that they would be a few hours late. Everyone had been understanding and Caye told them if they let her know when they landed that she would pick up food for everyone. Several feet away, Rebe was still teaching their children how to breakdance with mediocre success and Omar was scrolling through his phone.

Takeoff was an exciting ordeal, but only if you were under ten years old or Rebeca de Bormujo Ávalos. They were all seated together, with Nadia and Guzmán in the first row each reading a book and sharing earbuds. She was seated next to them doing work on her laptop and listening to a podcast. Behind them, the twins had the window seat with Marina next to them and they were all watching a movie. In the row next to the children, Rebe had the aisle seat so she could watch her nieces and make sure no one got abducted. Ander had the window seat with Omar next to him giving his input on designs Rebe was working on. Ander was watching a movie and leaning against his husband, who then joined him in watching the movie halfway through. About two hours later, Marina was now the one helping with designs and Nadia had abandoned her book so she could doze off against her husband who looked very uncomfortable in his current position, but unwilling to move and potentially wake his wife. 

  
  


Although Lu knew that she deserved a break, and should try to sleep before they landed, she was a workaholic and couldn’t stop herself from going through her never-ending inbox. Not even ten seconds later, her phone went off with a series of messages from Carla.

**_Hola, how are you faring?_ **

**_(Mom and Dad miss you, although they don’t want to seem like they’re overstepping, so make sure to tell them you miss them first)_ **

Since her parents had disowned both her and Valerio, Nadia’s parents had decided that they would fill in as her family. Over the years, they had "adopted" the rest of them, so now the Shana’s now had over a dozen children, including grandkids. Lu loved them dearly, and when she came to visit, she stayed in Omar’s old bedroom.

She texted back saying:

_ Fine, just finishing up some work and watching Guzmán slowly lose feeling in his arm as Nadia uses him as a pillow. _

_ [Attached image] _

_ He just flipped me off _

_ [Laughing emoji] _

Carla responded a few minutes later with:

**_STOP WORKING, or I will be forced to confiscate your laptop as soon as you arrive_ **

**_they’re so adorable_ **

**_He looks like he’s in genuine pain, OMG_ **

_ Is that a threat? _

_ IKR _

**_You should know by now it’s a threat and a promise_ **

**_Samu is reading over my shoulder and is currently dying of laughter at Guzmán’s face_ **

**_Gtg, love you - make sure to text mom and dad_ **

_ Love you too _

_ I will don’t worry _

At that moment she realized just how hard it was to keep her eyes open and fell asleep surrounded by the family she had chosen.

  
  


Rebe:

  
  


When their plane had finally landed, everybody was exhausted, even if they had slept. They were met at the airport by the Shana’s, Caye and Val, and Samu with Carla. The next half hour was filled with tear-filled reunions and a lot of hugging, mostly by their mom and dad. She was happiest to see Cayetana, as they had become good friends in the aftermath of Polo. Thankfully, Caye had already picked up food for everyone who would be staying at the hotel. Marina and the twins would be staying with their grandparents and would eat there. As kids said goodbye to parents and friends reunited with friends, Rebe knew that the coming week would be the best of her life.


	3. Family Bonding and Chaotic Seating Arrangements.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has arrived and they talk about their new lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, sorry for the wait. I was planning on this being the last chapter but I got way too ambitious with the outline and couldn't bear to change anything so here we are. There will be one more chapter after this, two tops, and the updates should be a bit quicker than this one was.

Nadia:

  
  


When the plane landed, Nadia was excited to see her parents in person after nearly a year. She wasn’t the only one either. Marina hadn’t been able to sit still and Omar shifted in his seat with impatience. Guzmán and Ander on the other hand, were slightly anxious. No matter how many times Nadia and Omar had tried to tell them that Yusef loved both of them like they were his own, both husbands were always nervous before they visited. Even when her father had begun to be accepting of his children’s lives through small ways like calling Omar and asking about Ander or making an effort to get to know Guzmán, Nadia could still see that nagging fear in each of their eyes that they would do something wrong and would once again be shut out.

After Guzmán shifted in his seat for the tenth time, she had grabbed his hand and assured him that Imán and Yusef were just as anxious as he was, and that everything would be fine, as long as he acted surprised when her father presented him with his gift. He had smiled at that and gripped her hand like a lifeline as their plane began its descent.

As soon as they caught sight of their grandparents, Marina, Carlos, and Elena picked up their bags and sprinted to give them a hug. Moments later, Rebe appeared, greeting them enthusiastically and engaging Imán in a complicated handshake. Nadia laughed as her mother struggled to keep up with her. Next was Lu and Ander, who hugged them and turned down offers to help with their bags.

Finally, it was only her, Guzmán and Omar who hadn’t said hello yet. Nadia squeezed her husband’s hand and pushed him forward. He hugged Imán first, then shook Yusef’s hand, who then pulled him in for a hug and told him that he looked well. Once they released each other, Nadia and Omar stepped forward and greeted their parents.

“I missed you both so much,” Imán said, pulling them close and kissing their foreheads.

“How have you been?” their father asked once their mother released them.

“Being a diplomat in the UN is stressful, but I’m happy with where I am right now,” she said.

“That’s wonderful, dear,” her mother said, smiling widely.

“How have Marina and Guzmán been?” she continued.

“Marina’s been trying to learn how to wear a hijab and Guzmán’s Arabic is getting better,” she answered, grinning as she watched her husband discreetly try to decipher what they were saying.

Her parents looked delighted at this, Imán once again pulling Guzmán in and kissing his forehead. Yusef smiled and brushed a hand over Marina’s hair, which was now falling out of its braid.

“And how have you been, son?” he asked, putting a hand on Omar’s shoulder.

“Parenting is very tiring, but I’ve been well. Ander’s been teaching Elena and Carlos tennis,” Omar responded, putting an arm around his husband, who knew very little Arabic and was desperately trying to pick up a few phrases.

“Now you know what it was like with you and your sister,” Yusef said, smiling.

While they were talking, Imán had knelt down and was engaged in a conversation with the twins about what they would like to do while they would be staying with them. They were quickly joined by Marina who hugged her grandmother and started to excitedly tell her about how she had learned to put on a hijab like her mother. 

Once everyone had finished with their tearfilled reunions and carpool arrangements had been made, Nadia said goodbye to her parents and her daughter, promised them that they would meet for brunch tomorrow, and walked with her husband out to the car.

  
  
  


Omar:

  
  


After they arrived at the hotel, they checked in and made their way up to the floor they would be sharing with little fanfare. Him and Ander would have the room at the end of the hall, Lu would be to the right of them, Rebe to the left, Caye and Val would be next to her, along with Guzmán and Nadia across from them. 

Once luggage had been shoved into their respective rooms, everyone gathered in Caye and Val’s room to commence feasting on the large meal she had picked up before the plane landed. As there were so many of them and seating was limited, they had to get  _ creative _ . Caye was kind about them all eating in her bedroom, but she refused to let any of them eat on the bed, as she did not want crumbs. This resulted in Valerio sitting on the TV stand wolfing down a sandwich along with Rebe sitting on a mattress she’d dragged into the room with him and Lu. Nadia was seated on her suitcase and her husband was stretched out on the windowsill. Ander had managed to claim the couch and shared it with Caye. Carla and Samu, however, were stretched out in a heap of pillows near the table.

“How have you all been lately?” asked their host.

“I just won my longest case yet,” Samu responded.

“How long did it last?” Valerio inquired, taking a sip of his soda.

“Three miserable years, the client was a pain in the ass,” He answered.

“Damn,” Guzmán remarked.

“What about you Nadia?” Caye asked.

“I’ve been good. Work is stressful, but I’m happy. What about you?” she responded, taking a bite of her salad.

“Writing this book has destroyed my sleep schedule, but I enjoy what I do.” Caye said, smiling.

“My dear, I simply  _ cannot _ believe that you haven’t asked about me, your closest friend, yet,” Rebe interjected.

“I literally spent two hours on the phone with you yesterday, I know how  _ you’ve _ been. I’m trying to talk to everyone else right now,” her friend responded while throwing a fry at her.

“Well I know that you know how I’ve been,” Carla mused.

“When I’m dating your second in command, it’s kind of impossible not to,” Caye remarked.

“What about you guys? Ander and Omar, how have you been?” Valerio asked from his perch.

“Still fabulous as always,” Omar responded, grinning.

“Truer words have never been spoken, dear,” Lu piped up from the mattress where she had been sitting quietly.

“I’m teaching the twins tennis and this one hasn’t managed to beat me yet,” Ander commented, pointing at Omar.

“Can’t say I’m surprised, my brother has the worst coordination of anyone I’ve ever seen,” Nadia said, laughing.

“Alright, alright, enough. Why haven’t we made fun of Guzmán yet? He’s the one who wears ridiculous shirts,” Omar cut in.

“Because I’m so good looking that I can pull anything off,” Guzmán responded.

They sat around laughing and eating until they had filled the others in on their blissfully normal lives and when everyone looked thoroughly exhausted they all helped out in returning the room to normal. Once that was finished, it was time to leave and allow Caye some peace and quiet. 

Omar took a shower soon after he got back and returned to find his husband sleeping on the bed with all of the blankets wrapped around him as if he were in a cocoon. He dressed quickly, untangled his beloved husband from the blankets and quickly fell asleep, unaware that he would be shaken awake much too early the next morning by Lu. 

  
  


Lu:

When Lucrecia woke up, she realized that it was noon and that she was probably the first one up. Her reasoning behind this being the fact that she retired half-an-hour earlier than the rest of them and the fact that her body required very little sleep to function. 

Now she knew that she didn’t  _ have _ to get everyone else up, but they only had a week together and she refused to waste any time.

  
  


Omar:

After Lu shook them awake, some  _ technical difficulties  _ occurred. Most of these were caused by Ander’s fury about being cheated out of a few extra hours of sleep which caused him to blindly swipe at her with his arm.

“Wake the fuck up, _come on_ _Ander_ ,” she said as she wacked him with a pillow.

“What’s in it for me?” he mumbled as he curled closer to his husband.

“I’ll let you help me wake everyone up and we can then prove our theory that Valerio bought matching pajamas for him and Caye,” she declared.

“Fine,” he responded.

“Omar, can you help me? I’m genuinely stuck,” Ander asked, once again trapped by the blankets.

When he helped his husband up, it only took Lu a moment to realize the elephant in the room: 

They had matching pajamas, which were patterned with polka dots.

It took her a total of five minutes to stop laughing at the combination of their pajamas and their disgruntled expressions.

“I was sure about Cayetana and Valerio, but you two? Oh my fucking God,” she wheezed as she slid to the floor clutching her stomach.

“Fuck off,” Ander muttered angerly, his cheeks going bright red.

“Okay, okay, I think I’m good now. Let’s go wake the others up,” Lu said as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

  
  


Rebe:

When Rebeca woke up, she felt like her head was clouded with fog, and the fact that Lu, Ander, and Omar were all hitting her with pillows didn’t help.

“What the fuck?” she yelled, covering her face with her arms to protect herself.

“If we have to be awake, so do you,” Ander and Omar declared loudly.

“Five more minutes,” she responded, waving an arm in their general direction.

“I think the fuck not,  _ wake up! _ ” Lu demanded.

“We only have a week, I don’t want to waste any time,” she continued.

“Fine. But I want to be the one to wake up whoever we decide to torment next,” she countered.

“Deal, Now get your ass out of bed,” Lu demanded for the second time that day.

Once Rebe had gotten up, she found herself being pulled out into the hallway towards Nadia and Guzmán’s room.

“Why aren't we waking up Caye and Val first?” she asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

“Caye bought us food and let us trash her room without complaint, she deserves to sleep the longest,” Lu responded as she waited for the keycard to open the door.

“Fair point, continue,” she responded, leaning her head on Ander, who then did the same to her as his husband looked betrayed.

As they stormed into the room, Nadia and Guzmán sat up quickly and looked slightly panicked.

“Is anything wrong?” the former asked quickly.

“Are you all okay?” the latter questioned as well.

“Goose Mom, we’re fine, we just wanted to wake you guys up,” Rebe said

“Fuck you guys,” he muttered, laying back down and burying his face in his pillow.

“What he said,” Nadia said as she too collapsed back onto the bed and curled into her husband.

“You guys are adorable. Now, more importantly, do you want to help us wake up Samu and Carla?” Lu asked, sitting on the bed and brushing Nadia’s hair out of her eyes.

“Well since you asked so nicely, of course I do,” Guzmán said, getting out of bed and nearly falling backwards.

“Count me in as well,” Nadia said as she did the same.

“Wait a damn minute. You guys have matching pajamas too?” Lu asked, looking bewildered as Ander and Omar fistbumped them.

“You’re just jealous because you could never pull it off,” Rebe retorted.

“At least someone appreciates our spectacular sense of style,” Guzmán said, laughing when Lu flipped him off.

  
  


Carla:

  
  


When Carla Rosón Caleruega opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was her husband standing on the TV stand looking terrified.

“May I ask just what the fuck you are doing?” she asked, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes.

“Oh, um, I’m checking that the TV doesn’t have faulty wiring,” he coughed.

“You saw a spider, didn’t you,” she deadpanned.

“Yeah, okay I did, will you please just kill it?” he pleaded.

Without looking, she picked up a book from the bedside table and hurled it in Samuel’s general direction.

“Did that work?” she asked

“Of course it didn’t fucking work, you don’t even know where it is,” he screeched.

“Samuel, just leave it alone, you survived Polo, you can survive a small bug,” she said, getting up and pulling her husband down off the TV stand.

“Do you hear something?” Samu said once he was back on the ground.

“It sounds like the others are already up,” she answered.

When Carla and Samu opened their door they came face to face with Lu, Rebe, Ander, Omar, Nadia, and Guzman who looked as if they had just woken up.

“What is so important that you all decided to come get us this early?” Samuel asked.

“Lu decided to wake us all up so we don’t waste any of our time together,” Rebe yawned.

“And what do you mean “this early”, it’s noon Carla!” Lu declared.

“Whatever, I haven’t had any caffeine yet. Let’s go wake up whoever’s left,” she said, walking towards Caye and Val’s room, Samuel following behind her.

  
  


Ten minutes later, everyone was somewhat awake and Lu’s plans to meet their parents for breakfast was announced. 

“Are you sure Mom and Dad have time to meet us? Aren’t they busy with the shop?” Valerio asked, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend’s waist.

“I called them a half-hour ago, they’re happy to close the shop for the day if it means seeing us for awhile,” Lu responded.

“Now go get dressed, I don’t want to be stuck at this hotel forever,” she said after a moment.

An hour later they had all showered, dressed, climbed into their Uber, and made their way to the shop. Once they arrived, all ten of them stepped out of the car one after the other, like they were arriving at an award show. Before they even made it to the door, Marina, Elena, and Carlos were all sprinting out of the store to hug their parents. When Ander was knocked over by both twins jumping on him, he accidently pulled his husband down with him. Which forced Nadia to support Rebe as she was laughing so hard. Just then, Imán and Yusef made their way over to their group where most of them were laying on the ground clutching their stomachs with laughter.

“Are you all alright?” Imán asked kindly.

“Did-did you see?” Valerio responded, banging his fist on the sidewalk.

“He just-he just  _ toppled _ over,” Rebe wheezed.

“And then he, he just  _ pulled _ Omar down with him,” Guzmán howled, bracing an arm on Samu’s shoulder.

After five more minutes of everyone clutching their stomachs with laughter, they finally managed to pull themselves together enough to say hello to their Mom and Dad properly and leave for the restaurant.

  
  
  


Valerio:

  
  


Throughout a very late breakfast, they discussed what life was for them and how they were coping with the aftermath of Polo. Nadia confessed that people would scream at her when she walked down the street about how she was in America and had no reason to wear a scarf around her head. Rebe talked about how her mom made the difficult choice to give up the family business when her daughter threatened to leave, how they were always short on money until she had started to make a profit as a designer. Lu told them about how she was in therapy and almost failed out of Columbia because of the extreme PTSD. Ander and Omar discussed how people would treat them as if they weren’t human whenever they went out together. Samuel opened up about how people always expected him to fail when he showed up in court, how he worked three jobs to put himself through law school. Carla expressed what it was like in rehab and how she made the difficult choice to cut her parents off after she left to study abroad. Guzmán voiced his struggle with accepting that his sister was actually gone and how he hadn’t been able to sleep for more than a few hours at a time during college. When Caye spoke, she described what it was like to work at the school she had once attended, how she put herself through college to get her masters, and how she was turned away by four publishers before one gave her a chance. 

He squeezed her hand while she spoke and when it was finally his turn to speak, he revealed his fight to get sober and how he would work himself to exhaustion to forget about Las Encinas until he had a breakdown and was forced to take a break.

Afterwards, when they were done crying over each other, Imán and Yusef left to take Carlos, Elena, and Marina to the park. When the rest of their ragtag group finally left, the girls decided to go shopping while the rest of them headed to a nearby water park. At the last minute, Omar left to join the girls, as he didn’t want to get sunburnt. When Valerio looked around him, he was suddenly overcome with love for the people around him and the life he had made for himself, and as they walked through the city, he knew that this was what it was like to truly be happy.


	4. Hide and Seek with a Side of Foreshadowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They reflect on everything they've done during their time together and party at Teatro Barcello.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for the wait, and I have nothing to say for myself. There will be one more chapter after this, please enjoy.

Chapter 4:

Nadia:

Over the course of the week, they had gone to the beach, attempted ceramics, visited a museum, done a ridiculous amount of shopping, played several highly competitive rounds of hide and seek by request of the twins, and visited her parents nearly every night for dinner. Going to the beach had been Valerio's idea, since he wanted to teach the kids how to swim in the ocean, rather than just a pool. Omar quickly agreed, as he wanted to give their parents a chance to get some work done.

While they were there, her, Lu, Carla, and Omar all sat under a massive umbrella on towels and laughed as their husbands, children, and Rebe all played in the water. Valerio was still attempting to teach the kids how to swim, whereas Guzmàn, Samu, Rebe, and Ander were doing their best to surf. For the most part, they completely failed. One of them would manage to stand up on the board, then a wave would come and they would topple back into the waves. Rebe, however, managed to stay on her board the entire time and by the end of their visit, was consoling several dejected husbands while Valerio carried a twin in each arm with Marina on his shoulders. At that point, it was nearly four o’clock and they stopped by the shop to allow the kids to take a bath and a short nap. After the twins had filled Imán and Yusef in on everything Valerio taught them at the beach, the rest of them left for the hotel to shower and change.

Omar:

After the disaster at the beach, Carla suggested taking a pottery class, much to Marina’s excitement, as art was something she greatly enjoyed. When all thirteen of them had wandered into the shop, the owner looked as if he would need about four aspirin to get through his day. It certainly didn’t help that Valerio nearly knocked over a row of vases when he walked in carrying three children. Ander had grumbled about how much he didn’t want to do this, and how his hands weren’t small enough to do anything “artsy”. Omar had laughed at that and kissed his husband’s cheek.

The class was interesting, to say the least. Guzmán accidentally splattered clay on Samuel’s leg which surprised him so much that he knocked his mug off the stand and bumped into Carla who then fell into Nadia, smearing clay on her hijab in the process. Throughout all of this, Lu had been in the bathroom and when she came back, she had to brace herself on Cayetana’s shoulder she was laughing so hard. Carla, Lu, and Rebe then spent the next fifteen minutes in the bathroom trying to wash the clay out of Nadia’s scarf and hair. Marina and Caye later joined them when Caye had realized that Marina had clay all over her face. When they returned, they were met with an apologetic Guzmán and a grumpy Samuel, who was still upset about the destruction of his mug. The twins, however, were doing very well and had decided to focus on the same mug. Ander smiled lovingly at them when Carlos pulled Elena’s hair out of her face for her, and when she returned the favor by helping her brother keep his sleeves from falling to his wrists. Once all of the mugs had been completed and Omar wasn’t entirely sure that the shop owner was sober anymore, they left the shop with varying degrees of satisfaction.

Carla:

As it turned out, pottery had not been as great of an idea as she originally thought it would be. She and Lu had spent fifteen minutes in the bathroom scrubbing clay out of the hijab while Rebe helped Nadia get the clay out of her hair and Caye attempted to clean Marina’s face. Carla had apologized profusely and offered to buy her a new one, but Nadia wouldn’t hear of it and assured her that it was fine. Afterwards, Lu suggested that they just head back to the hotel to change into non-clay-splattered clothes and then leave to have dinner with their parents.

The next day, Caye suggested that they visit a museum, or at least a place where no mess could be made. Samuel quickly agreed and an hour later they found themselves walking around the Prado museum desperately trying to keep Marina and the twins from getting bored. Valerio and Cayetana wandered off halfway through and Carla knew that they would turn up later with Caye most likely scribbling down details about art that she could include in her next book and Val directing her around obstacles. After they left the museum, she felt her husband wrap his arm around her waist and kiss her cheek. She rested her head on his shoulder and they stayed like that for a moment before following the others to a restaurant nearby.

Samuel:

So far, this trip had been chaos at its finest. He had failed at surfing, ended up with clay splattered jeans, and nearly broken his arm during a high-stakes round of hide and seek that had been played at the hotel by the twins’ request. In all his years, he had never seen such competitiveness, and this was made worse by the fact that they had rented an entire floor and everything was fair game. Since Caye was the smallest, she managed to fold herself into her suitcase. Ander decided to hide in a bathtub, while Omar crouched behind a large plant. Valerio, on the other hand, got creative and somehow wedged himself onto the highest shelf in his closet. Nadia had crawled under the bed while her husband awkwardly sat in the window seat of their room with the curtain shut. Carla was also perched in a closet, but she had enough sense to cover herself with a heap of clothes. Lu situated herself under the desk in her room and Rebe discovered a trunk at the end of her bed, which she promptly tucked herself into. The twins hid together in Carlos’s bed, and by that point, Samuel was the last to hide from Marina, who would be searching that round. Finally, in an act of desperation, he sprinted into Lu’s room and hurled himself behind the couch, landing on his arm. His mortification was made worse by Lu’s barely concealed laughter at his hasty decision. Hide and seek was not something that he enjoyed, if you couldn’t tell.

He was the first one to be found, to his utter, complete, and absolute shock. Marina found the twins next, then Lu. Rebe came after, Omar accidentally knocked the plant over which gave him away and Guzmán dropped his phone, so they were found back-to-back. Ander was next, then came Nadia, Valerio, Carla, and finally Caye, who gave herself up once it was confirmed that she had actually won the game.

“Caye, I love you to death, but what the absolute fuck?” questioned Val as she unfolded herself.

“I learned how to do that before I came to Las Encinas. Fourteen-year-old-me apparently thought that knowing a few “party tricks” would help my chances of getting a boyfriend,” Cayetana admitted, smiling sheepishly.

“Caye, it is very important to me that you tell me those party tricks right now. For science,” Rebe demanded.

“Promise not to laugh?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die,”

“Most of them involve contortion or cheating people out of their money. But I can do that thing where you make your thumb disappear,” She responded while stretching.

“Please don’t teach the twins any of those, they would be unstoppable,” Ander yawned.

“How the fuck are you tired? It’s only four pm,” Valerio asked.

“You, my friend, have never experienced parenthood, and I’ll pray for you when you do,” Nadia stated, putting an arm around her friend.

“And let’s not forget my superiority over all of you. I did beat cancer after all,” He responded.

“And I thank God every day for that. Now come on, we need to take the kids back to Mom and Dad’s house before we leave for Teatro Barcello,” Lu cut in.

“Why can’t we come?” Marina demanded, jumping from the bed to Guzmán.

“Yeah! We want to go to the party!” Elena yelled as she too jumped off the bed, this time to Omar, who thankfully didn’t fall over.

“Let us go!” Carlos added, following his sister and leaping into Ander’s arms.

“How many goddamn times have I told you not to do that?” he muttered, before quickly realizing his mistake.

“Ander Muñoz, watch your mouth! I know you were taught manners, so use them!” Lu screeched, throwing a pillow at him.

“Children, I’m sorry, please never follow my example-,” He began.

“That’s right kids, you should always follow mine or Nadia’s, as we are the only mature adults here,” Valerio said, cutting him off and high-fiving a smug Nadia.

At this, Caye and Guzmán both looked at him with matching expressions of disbelief.

“What exactly are you implying, _Valerio_?” Caye asked, using his full name instead of the nickname she usually used.

“Yeah, Valerio, what _are_ you implying?” Guzmán said, coming over to stand next to Caye, across from Val.

Throughout all of this, Samu and Carla had been bystanders, as they didn’t always feel the need to give their input. Over the last 10 years, both of them had changed drastically, choosing to speak only when they really wanted to or when they felt it was necessary. Now as they watched, Carla buried her head in his shoulder to help suppress a smile and whispered;

“I can’t, they look so betrayed,” she laughed.

“I know, it’s like being on a reality show,” he whispered back.

Valerio:

Valerio had been with Cayetana for years, and if there was one thing he knew, it was that whenever she used his full name, he had fucked up.  
“Caye, I love you, but you have to understand that this morning when we were out shopping, a guy bumped into you and your immediate reaction was to call him a-,”

“Children, please come with me while these three resolve their issue. We can continue our breakdancing session,” Rebe piped up, guiding Marina, Carlos, and Elena out of the room.

“-A bitch-ass motherfucker to his face,” He finished timidly.

“And what about me, huh?” Guzmán demanded.

“Dear, you spilled coffee earlier and yelled “fuck” about twenty times as you tried to clean it up,” Nadia answered, crossing the room and running a hand through her husband’s hair.

Guzmán laughed, embarrassed, and put an arm around his wife, showing that he knew she was right.

“I will admit that you are right because I love you, but I will not change my ways,” Caye admitted.

“And I would never ask you to,” He responded, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

“Why are you guys not married yet?” Lu asked from where she was perched on the bed next to Carla, eating from a bag of chips as Samu stood brooding in the corner.

“We both agreed a few years ago that we would always be together, but neither of us have the time or interest to plan a wedding,” Caye responded, causing Valerio to look slightly pained.

None of them said anything, they all knew what he was planning.

“That’s so sweet,” Carla commented.

“You know, I’m sure that we could help you plan it if you wanted,” Lu said, smiling.

“We’ll see,” Caye responded.

“Are you guys ready to go yet?” Omar questioned from where he was sitting on the floor, his head in Ander’s lap.

“I mean I get that you’re having a moment, but I would like to eat dinner before midnight,” His husband continued for him, causing Valerio to flip him off.

“Come on, let’s go then,” Nadia replied.

Lu:

It took them two hours to get ready, as this was their last night together, and all of them wanted to go out with a bang. Nadia wore a long dress and wrapped a light pink hijab around her head before helping Guzmán pick a fanny pack that would best match his tropical shirt. Carla tied her hair back and adorned her arms with numerous bracelets that jangled as she walked. Samuel chose to wear his usual variation of a jean jacket and waited impatiently for everyone else. Caye borrowed one of Lu’s dresses and assisted Valerio as he spent a full hour doing his hair. Rebe stole one of Val’s jackets while he wasn’t looking and stumbled around in ridiculously high heels before finally figuring out how to balance and testing how well she could dance in them. Ander and Omar both sported plain jackets, although they were designer so the couple didn’t look out of place. Lu kept her hair loose for once, but wore a headpiece that resembled a crown.

When they walked through the door, everyone turned to look at them. Not because their presence was earth-shattering or anything, but because when they walked in, Rebe tripped and managed to catch herself by doing a one-handed cartwheel.

“Alright, this is a one-time offer, but does anyone need me to carry anything?” Guzmán asked as he put his keys in his fanny pack.

“That would be wonderful, Goose Mom, thank you for asking,” Rebe responded, handing him her phone.

“I rescind my offer to you, you can find someone else to carry your shit,” Guzmán responded.

“I’m good, Samu has my stuff,” Carla said as she went to find them seats, Samu following behind her as she cleared a path.

“Thank you Guzmán, give me a sec-,” Lu started.

“What is it?” Caye questioned.

Lu’s face burst into an expression of pure happiness.

“My dress has pockets,” she responded, overjoyed.

“Wonderful, would you mind carrying my phone?” Rebe asked, looking pointedly at Guzmán.

At that moment, the music changed and the rest of them flooded onto the dance floor. A half-hour later, Caye, Lu, Nadia, and Carla were sitting at the table that they had claimed earlier, watching the others. Everyone else was either dancing or getting drunk, with the exception of Nadia and Omar. After his father had started to accept him, Omar began to value his religion more and stopped drinking, whereas Nadia had started to wear her hijab because she wanted to, rather than because she felt that she had to.

After a few hours, most of them were very drunk and Lu had recorded several videos of their group dancing and sent them to the group chat, where they were promptly saved by everyone sober enough to remember to check their phone.

Unsurprisingly, Valerio had managed to piss someone off and they commenced the only acceptable way to resolve drunken conflicts: a dance off. Rebe joined in after a moment, then Ander, Guzmán, Samuel, and finally Omar. At their table, Carla spit out her drink laughing and Lu was currently supporting her as Nadia filmed and Caye cheered. Near the end of the song, they busted out in a fully choreographed routine that they were sure made Marina proud, even from the grave. This just made Lu and Carla laugh harder.

“Oh-oh my-my fucking God,” she wheezed.

“I watch them practice when they come over, I think you might have been asleep last time,” Nadia said, filming for Lu, who was no longer able.

“It’s-it’s actually choreographed though,” Carla managed to say between bouts of laughter.

“I knew that Val was up to something, I just didn’t know it was this,” Caye commented as she yelled encouragement at their group.

Cayetana:

An hour later, they all danced together, enjoying what little time they had left. Guzmán spun Nadia around and laughed as she stumbled with dizziness. Lu, Carla, and Valerio were the center of attention and Samuel was doing his best, and failing, not to look like he was having the time of his life. Ander and Omar were encompassed in a world of their own creation and paid attention to no one else. Her and Rebe were dancing together, and she was helping her friend balance.

“You should visit more often, I miss you,” she suggested.

“I will, don’t worry, you’re going to need me around very soon,” Rebe answered, turning away from her, but not before smiling knowingly.

Carla:

Now that she was the one dancing with Cayetana, the combination of her bracelets and the sequined dress Caye had borrowed caused all eyes to now fall on them.

“How free are you next month?” she asked.

“I’ll be working on the final draft of my book, so I won't have much free time, but I can come by if you need anything. Why?” Caye answered, looking at her quizzically.

“You’re going to be at our house a lot from now on, we’ll be helping you sort out the details,” Carla responded, smiling knowingly as Rebe had and pulling her over to Lu before joining her husband.

Lu:

Lu pulled Caye away from Valerio and closer to the middle of the club before yelling so her friend would be able to hear her.

“I’m going to be seeing you so much more now, I hope you won’t get sick of me,”

“What are you all talking about, nothing’s changing,” she yelled back.

“I’ll be there if you need me, remember that,” Lu yelled before pulling Nadia away from her husband and making a beeline for the bar.

Nadia:

“Nadia, I need you to tell me what’s going on. Everyone’s being cryptic,” Caye demanded.

The taller woman hugged her in response and whispered,

“Guzmán, Marina, and I will be visiting you in a few weeks when it’s all ready. Dad will walk with you through it all, don't worry,”

At that moment, her husband caught her hand and pulled her back to him. Leaving Caye standing there dumbfounded.

Valerio:

When he finally made it to his girlfriend, he knew the others had done what he had asked as she was looking thoroughly confused.

“Val, what is everyone talking about?” she yelled desperately.

“It’ll all make sense later, but I need you to trust me for now, okay?” he responded, kissing her forehead.

Caye:

By this point, she knew that something drastic was about to happen, she just didn’t know when or what. Val had asked her to trust him and she had agreed, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying to find out whatever she could. But as she danced with the people she loved and the family she had made, she knew that no matter what happened, she would be okay.


	5. The Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerio's plans are carried out and Ander continues to ruin the moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry about the wait, I kind of lost inspiration while writing this, and I was really focused on maintaining my grades before the school year ended. Anyway, this is the last chapter, please enjoy!

  
  


Omar:

  
  


When their group had finally decided to call it a night, they realized that getting back to the hotel would be a bit of a challenge. Except for him and Nadia, everyone else was completely wasted. Val had asked them to stay sober enough to carry out the official first step of his plan to propose to Cayetana. All they had to do was give  _ extremely _ subtle hints that something big would be happening soon, and once they managed that, they were free to drink as much as they wanted. 

Omar was proud of how far Valerio had come. He had started out as an addict who was willing to pawn off his belongings in order to get his hands on something that would allow him to escape reality for a while, and now he was successfully assisting Carla with the wineries and only drank on special occasions.

So when Val had called out of the blue and explained that he wanted to propose, Omar felt like his younger brother had finally grown up. Valerio had nervously asked everyone if they would be willing to take a week off of work to help him carry out his plans, and they’d all quickly agreed. Even Lu, who cut a business trip short and reworked her entire schedule so she could be there.

Throughout the week, all of them pitched in. Guzmán and Ander were in charge of securing a venue. Rebe and Lu kept Caye busy so she wouldn’t notice too much when someone acted suspicious, and he and Nadia had assisted in keeping the ring hidden through a very complicated system that involved several close calls and fast reflexes. Carla’s job was to prevent Imán from giving everything away, as whenever she looked at Valerio, she would start crying. All Samuel had to do was promise not to brood too much, something Valerio deemed of utmost importance, as he claimed it would “ruin the vibe”.

Now, as he awoke in Nadia and Guzmán’s hotel room, laying on the bed with Nadia, Rebe, and Lu, he was glad that he was sober. He could tell his sister was feeling the same way when he shook her awake so they could pick up breakfast for everyone. When he looked at the clock, he saw that it was already two pm, and observed the _interesting_ choices for places to sleep that his friends had chosen. While he had gotten lucky and slept on the bed, Ander, Guzmán, and Valerio were curled together on the couch, which left Carla, Samu, and Caye to sleep on the floor with blankets from four rooms wrapped around them. When Omar woke them up so they could have the chance to eat breakfast before five pm, he received a wave of vicious insults that only came into play when someone was extremely hungover.

Guzmán:

The first thing Guzmán registered when he woke up was just how awful he felt. It was obvious that the others felt this way as well judging from all the swearing.

“I know now what death feels like and I’m not afraid,”  he grumbled, blindly reaching for the water bottle on the bedside table he had placed there the night before.

“I feel you,” Rebe agreed.

“I didn’t even drink that much, why is my headache this bad?” Lu cried out.

“I literally watched you chug a bottle of champagne just because some guy bet that you couldn’t,” Carla responded, army crawling to her purse where she had stashed painkillers.

“Oh fuck, I forgot about that,” 

“Please tell me someone filmed that,” Valerio piped up, his curls a haphazard mess.

“I know that Nadia took over filming at some point,” Ander said.

“Thank God, I need to play that at her wedding,”

“Play that at my wedding and I will personally end you, you fuc-” Lu started.

“Alright! I’m going to take a shower,” Samu interjected.

“My man, I highly doubt that,” Valerio retorted from the couch as Samuel proceeded to stand up and fall right back down next to Carla.

“You were saying?” Ander said, his face hidden by Valerio’s hair.

“Val, where the fuck are my glasses?” Caye asked, sitting up and squinting at them.

“I think you put them in my shirt pocket. Guzmán, be a dear and check for me, will you?”

“As long as you never refer to me as “dear” ever again,” Guzmán responded as he grabbed the glasses and threw them in Caye’s general direction.

“You know, I didn’t see where they landed, but I don’t think they’re anywhere near Cayetana,” Lu remarked.

“Shut up, I’m doing my best,” 

Rebe rolled to the edge of the mattress to retrieve them, and sighed with defeat when she realized she was stuck.

“You’re a fucking goddess, thank you,” Caye sighed when she could finally see.

“Hear that Val? I just stole your girl,” Rebe called out from her cocoon.

“Show a dying man some mercy,” Val responded, not looking up.

“I haven’t felt this awful since chemo,” Ander groaned, covering his face.

Lu:

After listening to the others complain, and seeing that Nadia and Omar were gone, she pulled out her phone and texted the former.

_ Lu: Dear, I love you. But you better be getting us breakfast and getting it fast _

**_Nadia: We’re on our way back, don’t worry_ **

**_Nadia: Give Guzmán my love_ **

_ Lu: You’re the only one I respect here _

**_Nadia: The feeling is mutual_ **

“Omar and Nadia are on their way back with breakfast,” she announced, listening to the half-hearted cheers that followed.

“Oh, and Goose Mom?”

“Fuck off. What?”

“Your wife says she loves you,”

“I see the nickname is catching on,” Rebe commented.

“I’m in too much pain to care right now,” he muttered.

Once the others returned, and they finished their breakfast, they began the  _ very _ slow process of getting ready. After two hours worth of pledges to never drink again, they left for Teatro Lope de Vega where they would be commencing the second and most important phase of Valerio’s plan: Keeping It Together. This was the final night before everything would change, for the better, or for the worse.

When the play ended, it was seven o’clock and they decided to have dinner at Imán and Yusef’s one last time. Upon arriving, they realized that this might not have been the best idea as Imán immediately started bawling as soon as she saw Valerio, which put both Carla’s improv skills and speed to the test. Yusef could be seen in the back bedroom giving his wife a pep talk while she just sobbed incoherently about how happy she was. When the night began, Omar was in possession of the ring, but that changed after he narrowly avoided dropping it. Lu saved the day by pulling Caye away to the kitchen, giving Nadia time to slip it into her jacket pocket.

At this point, Valerio had seen all of this go down and was a step away from a full-on anxiety attack, Cayetana was suspicious as to why everyone was acting weird, and Rebe was desperately trying to seem nonchalant.

Ander:

When Ander and Guzmán had agreed to secure a venue and make sure Valerio didn’t chicken out of asking Caye to marry him, he, at least, hadn’t thought it would be that hard, something he turned out to be very wrong about. Guzmán was much better at their job than he was, as he had already gone through what Valerio was currently experiencing. 

When Omar had brought up marriage, Ander had been caught off guard, making Omar think that he didn’t like the idea, and almost ending their relationship, but he had quickly remedied the situation by pulling Omar into his office and showing him the ring hidden there. 

If the Shana’s had alcohol, Ander would have been thoroughly drunk by now, but alas, he was stuck with sparkling water. He and Rebe were playing a game called “I’m going to take a “shot” everytime someone almost spills the beans. They were on round four.

“Valerio, you have to relax. This part of the plan is called “Keeping It Together”, and you, my guy, are doing the exact opposite of that,” he stated.

“Shut up. What if she finds out before everything is ready and says no?” 

“Valerio. You have to listen to me, I’ve been where you are now, and I  _ assure _ you, the best thing to do right now is carry on like nothing is wrong. Cayetana is not going to say no, I’ve seen the way she looks at you,” Guzmán said, putting his hands on Valerio’s shoulders.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Imán and Val pulled themselves together, Yusef gifted him and Guzmán with matching blue ties, Imán presented them with scarves that she had knitted, and Lu, Rebe, and Carla were all suffering from headaches. When they all returned to the hotel, Ander pulled Valerio to the side and did his best to give a pep talk.

“Listen man, I know that Guzmán is the better person for this conversation, but you need to pull yourself together and do it now. As soon as you see Caye she’s going to ask where you disappeared to, so you just need to make something up, alright?” 

“Don’t worry, I’m excellent at lying. I lied to my parents for eighteen years,”

“Yeah, yeah, congrats. Just don’t spill the beans,”

  
  


Valerio:

The next morning, all he could think about was,

“What if she says no and I ruin everything?”

He knew that he was being ridiculous, and that Caye loved him, but he also knew that love couldn’t be the answer to everything. After looking over at his girlfriend, who was curled next to him and still fast asleep, Valerio dragged a hand over his face, unplugged his phone, and walked into the bathroom.

**_Secret Marriage Proposal Group Chat_ **

_ Val: Alright guys, can we go over everything one more time? I just want to make sure it’s all ready  _

**_Guzmán: Ander and I secured the venue and it will be ready by the time we arrive_ **

**_Nadia: I currently have the ring, but I’ll give it to Omar before we leave_ **

**_Nadia: He wants to slip it into your pocket like he’s in a spy movie, I’m sorry_ **

**_Omar: STFU it’s necessary_ **

**_Rebe: I’ll keep Caye distracted throughout the day_ **

**_Lu: I’ve taken care of the music_ **

**_Carla: If anything goes wrong, I’ll take care of it, don’t worry_ **

_ Val: Thank you all so much.  _

_ Val: Especially you Numero Uno _

**_Rebe: Aw, you’re welcome_ **

**_Carla: He was talking to me_ **

**_Rebe: I would swear at you, but I’ve chosen to be the better person_ **

_ Val: One final thing: Samu, can you remind me what your job is? _

**_Samu: *Unamused emoji* I promise not to brood and “ruin the vibe” as you put it_ **

_ Val: Excellent, I know you can do it _

Over the course of the day, he could barely stop his hands from shaking and felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack on more than one occasion, which prompted Caye to suggest that he make an appointment with his therapist.

Later that night, when they arrived at the venue they had previously rented out, he felt Guzmán put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The restaurant had a pavilion that overlooked the sea with flowering vines climbing up marble columns and twinkling lights basking everything in a soft glow. Off to the side, a group of musicians played classical music, waiting to see how the night would turn out.

Each couple had their own table, leaving Lu and Rebe to sit with each other, and order every dessert on the menu. Their laughter could be easily heard no matter where you were. The only thing that Valerio could hear, however, was the pounding of his heart and the doubts filling his head. At nine o’clock, he left Caye at their table and watched as Guzmán, Ander, Omar, and Samuel followed him into the bathroom. It didn’t go unnoticed to him when Omar slipped past Nadia and then put his hands in his pockets. Although Lu couldn’t follow him, she winked and raised her glass in a toast. 

Cayetana:

  
  


“Have you guys noticed anything weird about Val today? He seems on-edge,” She asked, watching as Valerio was followed into the bathroom by Guzmán, Ander, Omar, and a reluctant Samuel.

“I’m afraid that I’ll have to take credit for that one, I was informed earlier that the wineries were struggling a bit, but they should be fine in a few weeks,” Carla responded smoothly.

While the rest of their company was absent, everyone had migrated to her table, and Carla stood behind her, adjusting the pins in her hair.

  
  


Lu:

Upon hearing the news of the wineries, she shot Carla a look of surprise only to be met with a look that said:

_ Just go with it! _

“Why hasn’t he said anything then?” Caye asked, looking slightly hurt.

“I explicitly told him not to tell anyone, I didn’t want to ruin our reunion with my issues. In fact, I want this to be the last time we mention it tonight,” Carla answered, coming to stand next to Cayetana and pulling her up to dance.

  
  


Valerio:

  
  


“Oh my fucking God, I didn’t actually think that this would be happening,” he breathed out, running a hand over his hair.

“Relax. Panicking will make everything seem ten times worse,” Omar soothed, putting his hands on Valerio’s shoulders despite being six inches shorter.

“Hmm? Yes. What he said,” Ander agreed, looking distracted.

“Omar, please tell me that you have the ring,” Guzmán interjected, moving to straighten Valerio’s suit.

“Relax, Nadia handed it off to me on our way here,” 

“You know, I don’t understand why you couldn’t just get the ring from her earlier,” Samuel muttered.

“What was that?” 

“Nothing,”

“That’s what I thought,”

“Alright, focus! When we walk back out there, does everyone know what to do?” Valerio snapped.

“Yeah, sorry, let’s go,” Omar replied, making one final adjustment to Val’s hair, straightening his own suit, and then leading the way back outside.

  
  


Cayetana:

  
  


When the rest of their company finally emerged from the bathroom, Omar leading the way, Carla released her hands and made her way over to Samuel, who she then pulled onto the pavilion. The others followed suit, which left Rebe and Lu on their own, either to watch the others slow dance or join in. So it was no surprise to anyone when they both downed the last of their wine and then started to tango with each other. 

  
  


Valerio:

  
  


With only a few minutes left until the musicians would stop their playing, signifying his window of opportunity, he was more nervous than he had ever been. Dozens of questions and doubts had wormed their way into his head, causing his heart to pound and his hands to shake.

_ What if she doesn’t say yes? _

_ What if she wants things to stay as they are? _

_ Why hadn’t he brought up marriage more often? _

_ Why hadn’t he made absolutely sure that she would want to commit to something like this? _

_ What if she doesn’t love me like I love her? _

That last question had been in the back of his mind for the last few days, despite repeated reassurances from Lu. 

Just then, the music stopped, along with his train of thought, and their friends moved off the pavilion and into the restaurant, giving them privacy. Everything, the speech he had prepared, the words he had spent weeks coming up with just  _ disappeared _ leaving Caye staring at him quizzically and his heart pounding in his ears. After a moment, however, he came to his senses and got down on one knee, pulling the ring out of his suit jacket.

  
  


Caye:

She had been suspicious of Valerio ever since the night at Teatro Barcelo, when the others had talked nonsense about how they would always be there to help her and he had asked her to trust him. But now, seeing him get down on one knee, the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. The others had been talking about a  _ wedding _ . Rebe was offering to design her dress, Carla and Lu had been offering to plan everything, Nadia was saying that she would be back in a few months for the event itself and that Yusef was willing to walk her down the aisle. Had this whole trip been an elaborate plan just so Valerio could propose? It had been, hadn’t it.

  
  


Valerio:

He always loved watching her write, coming up with complex storylines and create plot twists that only she would be able to see coming. Except she hadn’t seen this one coming, had she? Now, he watched her put it all together, the cryptic words their friends had spoken, his anxiety over the past few days, and Omar’s constant humming of the  _ Mission: Impossible _ theme, all of it amounting to one conclusion.

“You know, from the moment that I saw you again after all those months, I knew that even if you only wanted to be my friend, I would love you anyway. And then you let me stay with you while you wrote your first book and there were so many times I nearly confessed right then and there, but then you beat me to it. Who would have guessed that I would be able to beat you to something? I certainly never did, but here we are, and I want you to know that even if you don’t want to marry me, I will still love you more than my own life,”

By the end of his speech, Cayetana was crying and he could feel tears in his eyes as well. 

“I love you too,” 

“Please tell me that’s a yes,” he said, hope filling his chest.

“Of course it’s a yes, you idiot,” she sobbed.

He hugged her then, crying as well, but this time it was from happiness. After a few moments, he slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her. Just then, he heard a crash and was reminded that they, in fact, were not alone.

When they turned toward the direction the noise had come from, he saw Guzmán holding up Omar, who was crying and Ander standing next to a chair he had just bumped into.

“I’m so proud of you,” Lu declared.

“I hope you guys are ready to help us plan this wedding,” Caye replied.

“Come on, you know that I was born ready,” Rebe said, pulling her in for a hug.

“Hey guys, I don’t want to rush anything here, but our flight leaves in a few hours and the majority of you aren’t packed,” Guzmán piped up, still supporting an emotional Omar.

“You’ve got to stop ruining the moment, Goose Mom,” Rebe groaned.

“No, no, he’s right, we should get back to the hotel,” Valerio agreed.

  
  


Lu:

Thankfully, Lucrecia had already packed for the flight back home, and since Val, Caye, Samu, and Carla still lived in Madrid, although far apart from each other, they didn’t have much to worry about. Everyone else however, was sprinting around shoving things into suitcases while she and Guzmán sat on her bed and sipped sparkling water. Rebe and Omar were struggling the most, as they had done quite a bit of shopping. Within an hour, everyone had collected their stuff and those who would be flying back to New York said their goodbyes to those who would stay in Madrid.

“Wait, Carla, what about the wineries, are they still in danger?” Caye asked.

“The wineries were in danger?” Samuel and Valerio asked in sync.

“No, they’re fine, thriving actually. I just needed an excuse as to why you were acting so weird,” she answered, looking at Val who laughed awkwardly and put an arm around his fianceé.

After another hour, they had collected their children from Imán and Yusef, who were  _ thrilled _ to know that the proposal had gone well. The flight that followed was uneventful, as everyone was exhausted. Thankfully, there hadn’t been a delay, but everyone they encountered seemed to move sluggishly, which slowed things down considerably. Nadia once again used Guzmán as a pillow and she sent a picture to Carla like she had on the previous flight. Omar and Ander watched a movie, though neither of them stayed awake long enough to finish it. Rebe continued to work on designs, but this time they were possible options for Cayetana’s wedding dress. The children were all asleep, the twins’ heads resting on Marina’s shoulders. Lu, however, was answering emails that she had neglected to read earlier, and only allowed herself to fall asleep once she finished the task.

  
  


One Month Later:

Nadia: 

At the sound of her phone chiming, Nadia looked up from her laptop to see a series of texts from Valerio.

**_I need an unbiased opinion_ **

**_This is a very serious matter_ **

**_We’re talking life or death here_ **

**_Ok:_ **

**_Would a flowered suit be too much??_ **

**_Lu says yes, but Rebe says no and Caye won’t take a side_ **

_ What about wearing a flowered tie? _

_ Or wearing the suit during the reception? _

**_You’re a genius_ **

**_I knew you would come through for me_ **

**_Ok, I’ve got to go, Lu is yelling at me to get off my phone and focus_ **

**_I Love you, you absolute queen_ **

_ Thank you, I love you too _

“Who was that?” Guzmán asked, walking into the living room holding Marina.

“Valerio, he needed an unbiased opinion,”

“Oh no, what was it this time?”

“He wanted to wear a flowered suit,”

“I’m assuming that Lu said no and Rebe encouraged him?”

“How’d you know?” she responded, grinning.

“I just heard from Carla, she’s been overseeing everything,”

“How’s that going?” 

“Apparently she’s never gone through a bottle of Ibuprofen faster than she has in the last month,” he responded, setting Marina down so he could braid her unruly hair.

Nadia laughed at that, putting her own hair up in a ponytail and continuing on with her work.

  
  


Omar:

Once again, Omar found himself in an uncomfortable position. Although this time he wasn’t stuck anywhere. Instead, he and Ander had just won a tennis match against their neighbors while the twins watched from the sidelines. Normally, he would be overjoyed about this, but apparently, his neighbors didn’t like to lose and were currently swearing up a storm while he and Ander held their hands over the twins’s ears and guided them back to the car.

“So..” He started.

“We already know that those are bad words,” Carlos said.

“Don’t worry, we won’t say them...unless,” Elena continued.

“Unless what?” Ander asked, looking worried.

“Unless you buy us ice cream,” Carlos finished for her.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Valerio,” Omar sighed as he started the car.

  
  


Carla:

Not for the first time, Carla found herself in the middle of a meaningless argument. She had been overseeing the planning for Cayetana and Valerio’s wedding, giving Cayetana the chance to finish the final draft for her book and Valerio the opportunity to wrap up a project he had been working on that would help the wineries. And most days this was a perfect arrangement, she would meet with Caye and Val to get their opinion on certain details and then she would relay those opinions to Rebe and Lu, who would then take care of finalizing everything. But other days, she found herself rubbing her temples and regretting every decision that had brought her to this point.

Like now, as she sat in her kitchen, watching her friends go to war over the design of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Normally, the two girls got along wonderfully, but there was still that small percentage of the time that they argued, usually over small things. Carla knew that they would eventually sort it out, admit that the other did have a good point, and come to an agreement, but until then, she would have to suffer through being in the middle of it.

  
  
  


Five months later:

Yusef:

As he looked around, Yusef felt his chest swell with pride. He was so proud of his children. Omar and Ander, who stood next to Valerio in pristine suits, holding each other’s hands. Nadia, with her matching lilac gown and hijab, holding her daughter in her arms. Guzmán, who he hadn’t originally liked, but now called his son. Carla, who took the time to have tea with Imán once a week despite her busy schedule. Samuel, who helped in the shop whenever he had free time. Lu, who he hadn’t known very well at first, but now talked with weekly. Valerio, who had pulled himself together and was now a fine young man, and finally Cayetana, who had shown up at their shop looking lost after her graduation, but now looked sure of herself as he walked her down the aisle. Yusef had done many things in his life, things he was proud of, and things he wasn’t, but he knew that being the father to them would be the best thing he ever did.


End file.
